The 4E play style is a high action cinematic style of play where characters worry less about being killed in one hit and more about strategy and what their next move is and the one after it. The players talk back and forth about planning a battle and who can do what to influence the outcome. 4E play is filled with cinematic over the top action. An Eladrin teleports out of the grip of the Ogre. The Fighter slams the dragons foot with his hammer causing it to rear up and stagger back in pain. The Cleric creates a holy zone where their allies weapons are guided to their targets and whenever an enemy dies the Clerics allies are healed. 4E is about knowing when to lauch your nova attack, whether its a huge arcane spell that causes enemies to whirl around in a chaotic storm, or if its a trained adrenaline surge that causes you to attack many many times with two weapons on a single target, or a surge of adrenaline that keeps you going though you should already be dead. Its about tactics and the inability to carry around a bag of potions or a few wands and never have to worry about healing. Its about the guy that can barely role play having the same chance to convince the king to aid the group as the guy that takes improv acting classes and regularly stars as an extra on movies.

The Stormwind Fallacy, aka the Roleplayer vs Rollplayer Fallacy
Just because one optimizes his characters mechanically does not mean that they cannot also roleplay, and vice versa.
Corollary: Doing one in a game does not preclude, nor infringe upon, the ability to do the other in the same game.
Generalization 1: One is not automatically a worse role player if he optimizes, and vice versa.
Generalization 2: A non-optimized character is not automatically role played better than an optimized one, and vice versa.
...[aside]...
Proof: These two elements rely on different aspects of a player's game play. Optimization factors in to how well one understands the rules and handles synergies to produce a very effective end result. Role playing deals with how well a player can act in character and behave as if he was someone else.
A person can act while understanding the rules, and can build something powerful while still handling an effective character. There is nothing in the game -- mechanical or otherwise -- restricting one if you participate in the other.
Claiming that an optimizer cannot role play (or is participating in a play style that isn't supportive of role playing) because he is an optimizer, or vice versa, is committing the Stormwind Fallacy.

Please hold on specific questions about D&D Next content until Playtest material is released.

This Forum is meant to allow the Community to aid each other with Q&A like a few exist already over at CharOp or Rule Q&A. I know once the Open Playtest begins, a lot of people will have questions about the Rules and Mechanics and this will be the place to ask questions about them.

Until anything comes out, only general questions about D&D Next will get a real answer.

Q5: I will be attending a Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention with plenty of Tabletop Roleplaying Games next week. It starts the day after the playtest rules are released. I have signed up to participate in the playtest. What is the likelihood that we will be able to playtest the rules in a convention environment?

Q5: I will be attending a Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention with plenty of Tabletop Roleplaying Games next week. It starts the day after the playtest rules are released. I have signed up to participate in the playtest. What is the likelihood that we will be able to playtest the rules in a convention environment?

A5: This question was asked during the live chat and they stated that anyone that they want anyone that is going to playtest to be signed up for the playtest. So take that however you wish.

A7: no exact date yet, but we don't even get the charecter creation system until late summer, and it is confermed that nothing will be coming out this year. 2014 would be the 40th aniversary.
Also, a followup to Q6, the convention playtest might be slightly different than the home playtest.

Stuff I Heard Mike Say (subject to change): Multiclassing will be different than in 3.5! That's important.
There is no level cap; classes advance ala 3.5 epic levels after a set level.
Mundane (AKA fighter and co) encounter and daily powers will probably not be in the PHB (for the lack of space), but nor will they be in some obscure book released halfway through the edition.

You can't please everyone, but you can please me.
I DO NOT WANT A FREAKING 4E REPEAT. I DO NOT WANT A MODULE THAT MIMICS MY FAVORITE EDITION. I WANT MODULES THAT MIMIC A PLAYSTYLE AND CAN BE INTERCHANGED TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE FEEL, BUT NOT THE THEME, OF D&D. A perfect example would be an espionage module, or desert survival. A BAD EXAMPLE IS HEALING SURGES. WE HAVE 4E FOR THOSE! A good example is a way to combine a mundane and self healing module, a high-survival-rate module, and a separate pool of healing resource module.

A6: To expand on Mand12's answer. there will be no NDA during the Open Playtest unless one is specifically requested. There will be an Online Playtest Agreement most likely similar to what was used during the Playtest of Dungeon Command game on the D&D Playtesting Group, according to informations disclosed during the last online chat on D&D Next

11:12 Who can play in the playtest, and how are we going to distribute the playtest information to people? 11:13 Mearls: The playtest is open to anyone who signs up, and the information will be available digitally. As part of signing up, there will be an online playtest agreement similar to the one we used for Dungeon Command last year.

[sblock]

WIZARDS OF THE COASTONLINE PLAY TEST AGREEMENTUPDATED September 8, 2011

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY. Welcome and thank you for participating in the Wizards of the Coast LLC ( “Wizards” ) playtest community. While we typically do not accept Feedback (defined below), in certain instances we look to you, as part of our online community, to provide input on specific products. By participating as an online playtester (whether or not you provide Feedback (defined below) to Wizards), you acknowledge and agree that inconsideration for being an online playtester, you agree to be bound by the terms of this Online Playtest Agreement ( the “OPTA” ) as well as Wizards’ Code of Conduct (Code of Conduct Document), Privacy Policy (Privacy Policy Document) and Terms of Use (Terms of Use Document).

Unless stated otherwise, Wizards may modify this OPTA at any time and the changes will become effective upon posting to the online forum or chat room for the applicable product ( each “Forum” ).

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2. Play Test Materials. As part of your participation as an online playtester, you may receive, download or otherwise have access to proprietary Wizards intellectual property (including physical and online game related products and materials) ( “Playtest Materials” ). Wizards grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-assignable license for your personal use of such Playtest Material as provided by Wizards to you solely for the purposes of playtesting the Playtest Materials and providing Feedback to Wizards regarding the same. Any use of the Playtest Materials not expressly permitted under this OPTA is strictly prohibited and Wizards may, in its sole discretion, revoke this license at anytime and for any reason with no liability to you as a result.

3. Feedback. As part of your participation as an online playtester, you will provide Wizards with comments, feedback, thoughts, questions, ideas and suggestions regarding the Playtest Materials via the means indicated by Wizards including posting information in the applicable Forum or via email ( individually and collectively, “Feedback” ). You are solely responsible for any and all Feedback you provide and such Feedback will not violate the intellectual property rights of any third party. Additionally, your Feedback and use of the Forums will not violate the Terms of Use and Code of Conduct.

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Again, thank you for participating as a playtester and welcome to the Wizards community!

The 4E play style is a high action cinematic style of play where characters worry less about being killed in one hit and more about strategy and what their next move is and the one after it. The players talk back and forth about planning a battle and who can do what to influence the outcome. 4E play is filled with cinematic over the top action. An Eladrin teleports out of the grip of the Ogre. The Fighter slams the dragons foot with his hammer causing it to rear up and stagger back in pain. The Cleric creates a holy zone where their allies weapons are guided to their targets and whenever an enemy dies the Clerics allies are healed. 4E is about knowing when to lauch your nova attack, whether its a huge arcane spell that causes enemies to whirl around in a chaotic storm, or if its a trained adrenaline surge that causes you to attack many many times with two weapons on a single target, or a surge of adrenaline that keeps you going though you should already be dead. Its about tactics and the inability to carry around a bag of potions or a few wands and never have to worry about healing. Its about the guy that can barely role play having the same chance to convince the king to aid the group as the guy that takes improv acting classes and regularly stars as an extra on movies.

The Stormwind Fallacy, aka the Roleplayer vs Rollplayer Fallacy
Just because one optimizes his characters mechanically does not mean that they cannot also roleplay, and vice versa.
Corollary: Doing one in a game does not preclude, nor infringe upon, the ability to do the other in the same game.
Generalization 1: One is not automatically a worse role player if he optimizes, and vice versa.
Generalization 2: A non-optimized character is not automatically role played better than an optimized one, and vice versa.
...[aside]...
Proof: These two elements rely on different aspects of a player's game play. Optimization factors in to how well one understands the rules and handles synergies to produce a very effective end result. Role playing deals with how well a player can act in character and behave as if he was someone else.
A person can act while understanding the rules, and can build something powerful while still handling an effective character. There is nothing in the game -- mechanical or otherwise -- restricting one if you participate in the other.
Claiming that an optimizer cannot role play (or is participating in a play style that isn't supportive of role playing) because he is an optimizer, or vice versa, is committing the Stormwind Fallacy.

Q11: (as I think there were 2 Q9s?) - When are the materials supposed to be issued, and was there supposed to be a confirmation or acceptance notification when we signed up? (I received nothing).

A11: Only thing anyone received in response was an e-mail saying you signed up. We expect the materials on the 24th, but the time of the materials release is not yet specified. I'd personally love it to be at midnight like the DDI content, but we shall see.

A10: Feedback will be gathered through a series of surveys and possibly a dedicated forum on WoTC website.

11:32 How are we going to provide feedback on the open playtest? 11:33 Mearls: We'll have a series of surveys we're sending out. I also think that we might have a dedicated forum on the site for discussion, but I think Trevor might now more about that. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for us to capture feedback, while also reaching as wide an audience as possible.

A13: To extend on IxidorRS's answer, according to today's Interviews of Mike Mearls by Ethan Gilsdorf, the Public Playtest material will be available online via the D&D website www.dndnext.com.

Gilsdorf: How is this handled? Do folks download materials from the D&D site?

Mearls: The materials will be available online via the D&D web site at www.dndnext.com. All you need to do is create an account on the site – if you already have one you can skip that step – and agree to the playtest terms. Once you do that, you can download the files and start playing.

A14: To extend on IxidorRS's answer, barring any changes, yes you should be able to playtest both with and without a grid. I playtested in Cave of Chaos using both methods already and many also did at conventions as well.

A15: The initial playtest will just have the classic four races: human, dwarf, elf, halfling.

However, in a tweet Mike Mearls said that big races will be something they want to do for D&D Next, which would certainly be exotic compared to previous standard race offerings in the past without extra rules. But we will have to wait and see if it comes about.

"I don't want to fight dragons." - Hiccup
If dragons are to be invovled, I much prefer to play as a dragon, dragon rider, dragonslayer-slayer, dragonfriend, or anything else *but* a dragonslayer.

A13: To extend on IxidorRS's answer, according to today's Interviews of Mike Mearls by Ethan Gilsdorf, the Public Playtest material will be available online via the D&D website www.dndnext.com.

Gilsdorf: How is this handled? Do folks download materials from the D&D site?

Mearls: The materials will be available online via the D&D web site at www.dndnext.com. All you need to do is create an account on the site – if you already have one you can skip that step – and agree to the playtest terms. Once you do that, you can download the files and start playing.

I joke that D&D Next is what happens when, A Christmas Carol-like, 3rd & 4th edition's ghosts travel back in time to an evening near the end of AD&D 2E's life, and say "this is what is coming" and so AD&D 2E heads off in a different direction. So, it's like alt-reality AD&D 3rd, maybe? - Cam Banks

Q18: Easy question regarding OPTA, Open Play Test Agreement: It says we should not copy, display, and so on, any of the material we get. How are we supposed to playtest it with our group of players if we don't show them the rules? O.o

Q18: Easy question regarding OPTA, Open Play Test Agreement: It says we should not copy, display, and so on, any of the material we get. How are we supposed to playtest it with our group of players if we don't show them the rules? O.o

A18 - Send your players and other group members to to wizards.custhelp.com/ci/documents/detail... and instruct them to sign up. They will then be able to download a copy of the rules for themselves. It is actually required that they do this to participate.

Q18 easy way would be to let al players in the group sign up for the playtest.

A18(Again) Send your players to https://wizards.custhelp.com/ci/documents/detail/2/dndnext and have them submit the form. It doesn't get any easier.